Sudbury Wolves take Rangers prospect Artyom Gonchar in import draft
A defenceman noted for his ability to walk the blueline to create offence, Artyom Gonchar looks forward to taking the next steps in his hockey career with the Sudbury Wolves.
Article content
Sudbury selected the smooth-skating, puck-moving Russian rearguard with its first-round pick, 29th overall, in the Canadian Hockey League Import Draft on Wednesday, just four days after the nephew of former big-league standout Sergei Gonchar heard his name called by the New York Rangers in the third round of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft.
Article content
Article content
'I'm very happy to be drafted by Sudbury and will do whatever team needs me to do,' said Artyom Gonchar, with his uncle serving as translator.
Article content
Article content
An 18-year-old native of Chelyabinsk who played for the Stalnye Lisy Magnitogorsk in the Russian junior league this past season, Gonchar had seven goals and 18 assists in 50 regular-season games.
Article content
'I'm a team player,' said the left-shooting 6-foot-1, 157-pounder, when asked to describe himself as a player. 'My strength is offence and first pass.'
He'll find no argument there from Rob Papineau, the Wolves' vice-president of hockey operations and general manager, who is anxious to add the Rangers prospect to his stable of blueliners for 2025-26.
Article content
Papineau hopes Gonchar will help to fill the void created when Henry Mews announced he would jump to the NCAA ranks at the University of Michigan this coming season.
Article content
Article content
'This was just too good of an opportunity,' Papineau told The Sudbury Star. 'He has the same agency that worked with Dalibor Dvorsky and we had been talking to them for a couple of months now about the opportunity to bring him over. Obviously, he's a really good player who was selected pretty high in the NHL draft this past weekend by the Rangers and he's looking forward to coming over. We had a good conversation after the draft and he's got a good bloodline, as well, with his uncle.
Article content
'We're really excited to be able to add him to the team.'
Article content
Indeed, the Wolves may have already passed the biggest potential hurdle to securing a commitment from the up-and-comer, having waited on the edges of their seats for a half hour or so while 28 other CHL teams made their own selections on Wednesday.
Article content
'This draft is really hard for all the teams,' Papineau said. 'You have to build those relationships and it's a lot for players and families to get comfortable with an organization, knowing which one they would feel good coming to and moving a long way from home. Then there are those situations where players go in front of you and you're sort of stuck. Even though it is a draft, there's way more conversations and teams trying to line up players than in any other part of the game.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
National Post
2 hours ago
- National Post
Hockey's beloved emergency backup goalies face an uncertain future with new NHL rule
Former Zamboni driver-turned-arena manager David Ayres became an immediate sensation when he pulled on the goaltending gear and took the ice in an NHL game on a Saturday night in Toronto and beat his hometown Maple Leafs. Article content Before that, accountant by day/beer league goalie by night Scott Foster won a game for Chicago. Article content Article content It's the stuff of legend, possible only in hockey thanks to the existence of emergency backup goaltenders, the beloved 'EBUGs' who are ready to step in when the two goalies on a team's roster are suddenly not available for a game. The new collective bargaining agreement that goes into effect for the 2026-27 season will change the EBUG program, with each team now required to employ a full-time, traveling replacement to play in the event of multiple injuries or illnesses. Article content Article content There is already a sense of nostalgia across the tight little community of EBUGs, which date to the early days of the league a century ago. Article content 'I like that the EBUG position got so much attention over the last five, six years,' Ayres said. 'There's no other position in sports like it. It kind of sucks that it's going away in a sense. I know there are a lot of guys on the EBUG lists that were hoping to get their shot at playing in a game, but I think it's smart.' Article content Foster expressed gratitude and pride for getting the chance and figures the next generation will be just as lucky. Article content 'Like most things, change is inevitable,' Foster said. 'The EBUG role maybe outgrew the current model, as it seems like you see more and more times popping up.' Article content Initial reactions Article content Part of the joy around actually seeing an EBUG in a game is because it is so incredibly rare: An EBUG has entered a game just six times in the 13,068 regular-season games over the past 10 seasons (none have been on the ice in the playoffs in the modern era). Article content Article content As the first word spread that EBUG changes were coming, the group chat involving many of the goalies lit up with buzz and speculation. Article content 'They weren't very happy, I know that,' said Tyler Stewart, who dressed for St. Louis in pregame warmups in December 2017 as a then-25-year-old vending machine worker. 'Some of the comments were like, 'It was a good run, fellas.'' Article content Justin Goldman, who was a Colorado Avalanche EBUG for several years in addition to founding the Goalie Guild developmental program, said the sport has gotten faster and more taxing physically. That requires more rest. Article content 'The demands on goalies that play full time and the demands for goalies in practice, it was becoming really apparent that teams needed support from a third goalie,' Goldman said. Article content Still, the idea that someone not in the league can get called down from the stands to play in a game on a moment's notice is one of hockey's most unique traditions. Article content 'The EBUG position is the most universally loved and cool story in all of sports,' said Ben Hause, an EBUG in Colorado for eight seasons who was once on the verge of playing for New Jersey. 'I don't love the fact that what was kind of the last real wholesome story in the sports world is potentially going away.'
Calgary Herald
5 hours ago
- Calgary Herald
Ex-NHL enforcer breaks silence on viral golf course beatdown: 'This might be a blast'
Article content The ex-NHL enforcer threw some 'bangs' and had a blast while dishing out some justice at an Alberta golf course. Article content Nick Tarnasky became a viral sensation after adding some sound effects to his beatdown of a drunken instigator earlier this month and is finally sharing his side of the story on the wild scene. Article content Article content Tarnasky, who played six NHL seasons with the Lightning and Panthers, appeared on Tuesday's episode of the Spittin' Chiclets podcast in a one-on-one interview with host Paul Bissonnette — himself a retired NHL tough guy. Article content Article content Article content Article content Bissonnette began the hour-long interview by asking his former on-ice opponent how the past 48 hours have gone for him after going viral, to which Tarnasky replied, 'It's been pretty tough, pretty overwhelming.' Article content Article content The retired enforcer then broke down what led to the altercation, which has been viewed millions of times since being posted on social media two weekends ago. Article content 'We watched him tee off, I didn't know really what situation he was in,' Tarnasky began. 'He hit a tee shot 10, 12 yards. Took a mulligan and I didn't really pay attention.' Article content But after Tarnasky played the hole, a marshal at the course came and told them about potential trouble with the first group. Article content Article content Tarnasky told the marshal that while he believed the group was just 'having fun,' if he caught up to them he would tell them to settle down and 'stay respectful to the staff and other golfers.'
Edmonton Journal
5 hours ago
- Edmonton Journal
Ex-NHL enforcer breaks silence on viral golf course beatdown: 'This might be a blast'
The ex-NHL enforcer threw some 'bangs' and had a blast while dishing out some justice at an Alberta golf course. Article content Nick Tarnasky became a viral sensation after adding some sound effects to his beatdown of a drunken instigator earlier this month and is finally sharing his side of the story on the wild scene. Article content Article content Tarnasky, who played six NHL seasons with the Lightning and Panthers, appeared on Tuesday's episode of the Spittin' Chiclets podcast in a one-on-one interview with host Paul Bissonnette — himself a retired NHL tough guy. Article content Article content Article content Article content Bissonnette began the hour-long interview by asking his former on-ice opponent how the past 48 hours have gone for him after going viral, to which Tarnasky replied, 'It's been pretty tough, pretty overwhelming.' Article content Article content The retired enforcer then broke down what led to the altercation, which has been viewed millions of times since being posted on social media two weekends ago. Article content 'We watched him tee off, I didn't know really what situation he was in,' Tarnasky began. 'He hit a tee shot 10, 12 yards. Took a mulligan and I didn't really pay attention.' Article content But after Tarnasky played the hole, a marshal at the course came and told them about potential trouble with the first group. Article content 'The marshal comes back and says, 'Hey, those guys, I'm trying to kick them off but they tried to fight me.'' Article content Tarnasky told the marshal that while he believed the group was just 'having fun,' if he caught up to them he would tell them to settle down and 'stay respectful to the staff and other golfers.'
